Minutes of the Program Review Committee (PRC)

Date:Tuesday 23rd August, 2011

Venue:ISS room at Block 3, level 3, North

Time: 10.00 – 12.30

Chair: Mohamed El Soufi for Bert

NAME DIVISION MEMBER/ALTERNATE

Mohammed El-SioufiSBChair

Rosa Muraguri-MwololoPSDPRC Secretary

Susan MburuRTCDAlternate

Omondi OdhiamboMRD/GUOPresenter

Doudou MbyeROAASPresenter

Hellen NyaberaISSAlternate

Marco Van Der PlasSomalia OfficePresenter

Dorothee Von BreatanoROASSPresenter

Asenath OmwengaM&EAlternate

Sebastian LangeWSIB/HSFDPresenter

Gora MboupGUO/MRDPresenter

Angela MwaiUFB/HSFDAlternate

Maharufa HossainMRDMember

Thomas MelinGDMember

Zouga Seling PSD Intern

Kyle FarrellGDIntern

Projects for Review / PRC Decision
1. Sustainable Employment Creation and Improved Livelihoods for Vulnerable Urban Communities in Mogadishu (Brief)
Budget: EUR 3,893,511
Duration: 36 months
Responsible officer: Dorothee von Brentano / This was commended as a good initiative which is as a result of UN-Habitat’s good reputation in Somalia. In the development of the full project Document, the followingrecommendations were made;
- Include and consult UN-Habitat’s energy team, water and sanitation, disaster and post conflict, TCBB, ISS and Housing policy section as key internal collaborators of your project in the development of the project’s strategy.
- The entire Somali population can be categorized as vulnerable- prioritize the key vulnerable groups targeted by the project. Explain more persusively why UN-Habitat should be involved in this project.
- Elaborate the steering committee including roles and responsibilities in full document. Consider external assistance if any is deemed necessary for the Steering Committee
- Expected Accomplishments must be clear and separated from activities.
Set targets in the Brief can only be significant and meaningful if there are baselines- this must be addressed in the full ProDoc.
-A midterm evaluation is suggested given the complexity and dollar value of project. ISS offered to assist the project in setting up a virtual resource centre on the urban gateway for dissemination of information generated by the project .
The presenters were encouraged to approach Turkey for further funding. / Endorsed andgo ahead given to prepare full PRODOC, but should integrate recommendations offered.
2.Promoting Energy efficiency in building in Eastern Africa (ProDoc)
Budget: US $ 2,793,000
Duration: 48 months
Responsible Officer: Vincent Kitio / Sebastian Lange / This project was commended as a first and a good joint project with UNEP-GEF. To improve the project, it was recommended that the team includes more academia – (strategy that links it with universities) – especially active consultants who have knowledge to bring into the project. One or two universities in the North that have extensive knowledge in energy efficiency in buildings should be prominent in the strategy- for international knowledge to filter into the project. UNEP might give a good lead into the links with strategic Universities.
It was further noted that the urban poor are not visible in the project. Suggested pilots for middle class houses cannot inform housing strategies for the poor. . Include Housing finance team in thinking through the issue-
The PRC further recommended that the project starts by collecting existing best practices in energy efficiency in buildings In the region to see where the gaps lie.
The issue of how the project will effectively manage all the partners plus their interests was raised and the high risk of participating countries not honoring their funds commitments. This should be addressed by the project- perhaps through some incentives-eg. Reducing carbon footprints, how to accommodate energy efficient building for low-cost housing etc.
The Outputs on the first page should be revised to reflect WorkProgram 2010-2011 Outputs the project is contributing to corresponding to the listed EAs- not the project’s outputs.
Utilize the Urban gateway portal or liaison with ISS to ensure that the information gathered is shared and made available.You might want to collaboration data collection by utilize the UN-Habitat Global Urban Forum network
Lastly, the PRC secretary was asked to consult and find out the best time for a GEF project to come to the PRC for design inputs- given its long approval process. / Endorsed and recommended to the Executive Director for Approvalsubject to consideration of recommendations offered for improvementby the PRC
3. Global Exposure Database for Global Earthquake Model (GED 4 GEM) (ProDoc)
Budget: US $ 135,000
Duration: 24 months
Responsible Officer: Gora Mboup, Maharufa Hossain / There was a debate about this project with a member feeling strongly that the project should not be approved as it seemed to have a very weak link to the MTSIP and the agencies new priorities. An argument was put forward by the presenters that although the project has a value of Us$ 135,000, it was bringing new valuable data to Habitat which is worth thousands of dollars. In the end it was agreed that it was too late to reject the project-given the agreement has been signed with partners- and again rejection should ideally happen at Brief review stage.To improve the project, the presenters were advised to revise the indicators in the LogFrame and include a list of all the activities to generate the outputs.
In future-it was suggested that such small projects are amalgamated with bigger agency projects. / Endorsed and recommended to the Executive Director for Approvalsubject to consideration of recommendations offered for improvementby the PRC
4. CapacityBuilding for Land Conflict Management in South Sudan Phase II (Brief)
Budget: US $ 4,000,000
Duration: 20 months
Responsible Officer: Mathias Spaliviero / The full document should indicate the ownership of the project- UN-Habitat should not be the owners- it must sustain without UN-Habitat. The full document should also address cross cutting issues like anti-corruption, gender, children, environment etc.
The project must also emphasize that UN-Habitat’s position on energy efficiency, dense housing as opposed to sprawling, and its position of non-eviction. The project should link with the energy team for more strategy knowledge and the UEPS. It should also show linkage to other undertaken projects of similar context and focus
UN-Habitat language should be used in the Logframe (Outcomes should read as Expected Accomplishments)
Indicate the proposed target group in the full document and the key assumptions that the projects that will drive success. Risks must have mitigation plans in the full doc. / Endorsed andgo ahead given to prepare full PRODOC, but should integrate recommendations offered.
5. Strengthening Primary Health Care System in 3 states in Dafur (Brief)
Budget: US $ 1,414,000
Duration: 12 months
Responsible Officer: Mathias Spaliviero / In spite of the project bringing US $ 1,414,000 into Habitat, many of the questions were related to how this WHO/ UN-Habitat joint project is of value and relevance to our core business and new priorities. Building material –role in the project, it was noted, was noted was not UN-Habitat’s core business. On the other hand it was argued that how people settle in urban areas and how they build is UN-Habitat’s Business- so it fits.
The PRC advised that the full document be more persuasive in showing links to the agency’s priorities and the MTSIP. The Outputs on the first page should be revised to reflect WorkProgram 2010-2011 Outputs the project is contributing to corresponding to the listed EAs- not the project’s outputs
Liaise with the division in charge of Energy for additional advice. / Endorsed andgo ahead given to prepare full PRODOC, but should integrate recommendations offered.
6. Institutional Capacity Development in Dafur on Urban and regional Planning and land management (ProDoc)
Budget: US $ 1,191,020
Duration: 12 months
Responsible Officer: Mathias Spaliviero / The project had integrated all the improvement recommendations made by the PRC during the Brief except the Gender aspect due to lack of capacity in gender mainstreaming by the team.
The PRC advised to that the Gender unit guides and coaches the team in making the document gender responsive before it is submitted for final signature by the PRC chair. / Endorsed and recommended to the Executive Director for Approvalsubject to consideration of recommendations offered for improvementby the PRC

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